The True Architect
by Irhaboggles
Summary: For all of her life, Galinda had always wanted to be an architect. Sadly, because she never had much support from her parents, that dream was left unfollowed. But then one day, Galinda finally found herself a supporter, and it came from the very last person she would've ever imagined, though as she would come to realize, maybe it wasn't so surprising after all...


For as long as she could remember, Galinda had held a deep passion for architecture. There was something about the idea of sketching a beautiful and mighty building that would someday come to life to leave an imprint on the world that made Galinda's heart swell with joy and excitement. She wanted the thrill of detailed designs, and the knowledge that she was in charge of bringing her dream to life for the masses to enjoy. For that reason, the young woman spent most of her time making buildings from anything she could find. As a child, she used toy blocks and Lincoln logs. As a teenager, she used popsicle sticks, toothpicks and pencils. Anything she could get her hands onto that would make halfway decent construction material was used up by her as soon as she could find it. She wanted to be a true architect someday, so she wanted to get in all the practice that she could. But sadly, not everyone shared the same high, hopeful vision that Galinda did...

"Galinda, that picture really is lovely, but architecture is not nearly a refined enough job for you," Larena said gently when little Galinda came running to her with a picture of a new building she wanted to erect someday.

"And yes, your Pillow-Palace is wonderful, but do something lady-like and put these foolish notions out of your head," said Highmuster when the little girl dragged him into her nursery to show him the impressive fort she'd built out of all 42 pillows in her possession. It really was quite the feat for such a young child, but because all the beauty was lost upon Highmuster and Larena, its praises went unsung.

"Ok," Galinda mumbled when she realized that her parents were not at all impressed. She bit down a sulk before slinking away from them in dejection. Her drawing was held loosely between her fingers, and she half considered knocking her Pillow Palace down.

"I just don't get it!" she sighed sadly. "I don't see why wanting to create something good is bad!" but because the young girl could not imagine a life where she ever disobeyed her parents, she obediently put her sketch books away and returned her pillows to her bed. Her parents hadn't meant to be cruel, she reasoned with herself, they only wanted what was best for her, and they were right! She wasn't the one who was supposed to be designing luxurious buildings, she was supposed to be the one who owned and inhabited them! So her foolish dreams would just have to go...

"You'll be going to Shiz soon! Oh it makes me so proud!" Larena sighed happily, about a decade later.

"Thanks Momsie, do you think I could take an architecture class while I'm there?" the newly-turned adult asked, hoping for approval, or at least, acceptance. Maybe she'd been able to suppress her dreams from the start, but even after dismantling her Pillow Palace and hiding her sketchbooks, the young woman's love for architecture never truly died. She just never brought it up around her parents. But now that she was an adult, headed off to college, she dared to ask once more... Sadly, the reception from her parents had not changed at all within the last decade.

"Oz no, dear! We talked about this before, that's a waste of time!" Larena replied.

"Take sorcery instead!" Highmuster advised. "It is a far better, nobler art!" and Galinda wilted, but just like always, she agreed.

"Ok," she said. But her goodbyes from there on out were a bit more formal than they might've been if her parents had been more supportive...

When Galinda took her first steps into the hallowed hall of Shiz, striding past vine-draped walls, she couldn't help but gasp at all the architectural beauties and marvels that the school had to offer her. She loved the way the foundation fit together seamless perfection. She loved all the moldings that framed the edges of the wall, carved in intricate swirls and spirals and curves. Every part had its place in the pattern of the grand design and each component played its part in perfect harmony. She was in total awe of everything she saw. The arches, the pillars, the walls, the sculptures, the designs. Everything! She loved how the builders and designers had taken the time and effort to beautify the room not just by adding in fancy carvings into the stone and wooden walls, but by sculpting wonderful wooden creatures that sat on the rafters. The creatures all bore different expressions, like they were truly alive and part of the school. Galinda had never seen anything look so real before, and they were placed all along the curved ceiling. Galinda was sure she was in paradise!

When Galinda looked up at the wooden creatures, she was able to make out a plethora of unique and personality-infused animals. The first carving she saw was a bird, looking sagely down from its perch on high. Next was a lion, who almost looked more like he was yawning with boredom than roaring. Then there was a monkey, with a playful smirk, one of his paws raised in the air like he was about to answer a question with a pun instead of a professional response. Then there was a dog, whose head was twisted upward like he was howling. It was astounding to think that mere hunks of wood could have so much life!

At once, Galinda envisioned herself build something just like this place, with marvelous sculptures and decorations to the line the halls just like here at Shiz. She could see it now! She would build some grand castle, or university, and there would be a giant celebration throughout Oz that was all to do with her and her amazing architecture! No one would ever think she was strange at all! And as Galinda continued to move through her new home, looking at all the other stone and wood miracles creating and shaping the buildings of campus, Galinda seriously began to consider taking an architecture class anyway. If she had room in her schedule, what did her parents care? What did they matter to her? She had a dream, and she wanted to follow it! Why should she have to listen to what anyone else wanted? Why couldn't she take her own advice for once?

But this was easier said than done. When it came time to pick classes, Galinda realized that sorcery would overlap with architecture. Of course it would. Wasn't that just her luck? The architecture class seemed to call her name, but she knew what her parents wanted for mer. They wouldn't be very pleased if they were ever to find out she had switched out the sorcery seminar for an architectural class. So Galinda heaved a longing sigh before obediently marking the box for the sorcery class. Oh well. There was always next semester, right?

Half a semester later, Galinda found herself in a position she never thought she'd been in: giving her roommate a makeover. For that whole first half of the semester, Galinda and her roommate, Elphaba, had been nothing short of the biggest rivals Shiz had ever seen. They were constantly going at it, when they weren't actively trying to avoid one another. But look at them now! Sitting side by side like old friends with Galinda doing something as intimate and physical as putting makeup on Elphaba's face! It was a far cry from a few short hours ago when both of them had still loathed the other with a passion. But, Galinda supposed, life was full of surprises.

So now there they sat, side by side on Galinda's bed. Elphaba was sitting patiently at the end of Galinda's bed while Galinda sat right behind Elphaba, fingers expertly weaving Elphaba's smooth dark hair into a complex braid where every bit of hair did its part to hold the masterpiece in place. It was a lot like building, just with people instead of physical materials. And actually, it was this comparison between makeovers and architecture, human design and building design, that had first led Galinda into the world of makeup at all.

When architecture received the boot from her parents, Galinda had turned to makeup for a creative outlet instead. Of course, the two were very different on a physical level, but to Galinda, both had the underlying goal of bringing together multiple facets and component to create one big, new, beautiful whole. And what's more, makeup was approved by Larena and Highmuster, so that was another reason Galinda had gotten so into human design. If she could not use her creativeness and intelligence to design monuments, she could use it to design humans.

The problem with Galinda was that she was actually a very smart girl, but she never had much reason to use her intelligence. So maybe while some people here at Shiz would be in a lab, dissecting cadavers and studying the mysteries of life and death, Galinda would be back in her dorm trying to decide whether or not pink shoes really went with a pink hat. Some people would make fun of her for this, but it really was the only way she could use her intelligence. Because of what society expected from a girl like her, her own intelligence had been very much stunted for her and it made her quite the frustrated character, if she was being totally honest with herself.

"Thank Oz for makeup and clothing!" Galinda had once said, relieved to have found a creative outlet her family approved of. Besides, it really was very fun. She hadn't just said this to satisfy the fact that architecture was a no-go. Makeovers really could be a blast!

"You're good at this," Elphaba remarked suddenly. Galinda had been so lost in focus and silent reflection that she, without even realizing it, had stopped speaking with Elphaba and it was clear that the sudden silence was making the green-skinned girl deeply uncomfortable.

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah. Thanks," Galinda muttered, realizing her mistake. Elphaba heard a tonal change in Galinda's voice and grew worried.

"Are you alright?" she asked, turning around to look Galinda in the eye. "Have I said something wrong?"

"What? No! No!" Galinda reassured quickly, a small pang of sadness entering her heart that Elphaba would think Galinda's silence automatically meant that she had done something wrong even though, so far, all she'd needed to do was sit there and let Galinda work.

"Then what is it?" Elphaba pressed. It was not nosiness that prompted this question, but concern. It was something Galinda hadn't expected, and suddenly it made her feel even more awkward and embarrassed than before...

"I was just... lost in thought," she admitted, unable to meet Elphaba's eyes anymore.

"Oh. And might I ask what you were thinking about?" Elphaba continued to press Galinda, but she was very gentle and relaxed about it. It was clear that although she did want an answer, it wasn't like curiosity would kill her if Galinda chose to maintain her silence. Because of that, Galinda found it easier to talk to Elphaba than anyone else that she knew. Elphaba was the first and only one to ever imply that she would be alright if Galinda chose not to answer a question. Paradoxical as it was, this only made Galinda more compelled to speak.

"It's just... ever since I was little, I've always wanted to build something _great_! But my parents always said it was a silly idea, and not the kind of career path someone like me should ever consider. So I've turned to fashion and makeup instead as a new intellectual outlet. I just can't control myself! The urge to move and to make is too strong within me, and I don't know how to turn it off and be normal! I am sorry..." the first half of Galinda's remark had shot out of her mouth like soda from a bottle that had been shaken just a bit too hard and held shut for just a bit too long. As she finished speaking, however, her words grew softer and slower until they just kind of stopped altogether. She looked deeply ashamed.

"You're interested in architecture?" Elphaba asked in surprise. Maybe Galinda felt ashamed, but Oz knew that Elphaba was astounded. This was definitely _not _what she'd expected Galinda to say. But in reply, Galinda gave another guilty nod of the head. This hurt Elphaba somewhere deep within her chest. Who was it that had told Galinda she couldn't be an architect? And what had they done to make her feel like her passions were something to be ashamed of instead of something to be nurtured and cultivated?

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that!" the green girl even added in response to Galinda's guilty nod. This response made Galinda pause. She looked up in genuine shock at Elphaba, amazed that someone, let alone the girl she used to despise with a passion, would actually take her confession to heart and not laugh, or brush it off, like everyone else usually did.

"Are you serious?" the blond demanded softly, hard daring to believe someone didn't think her dreams were strange, or wrong. Could this be real?

"It's a great idea!" Elphaba nodded in reply. "You mean to say you've had this passion hidden from yourself just because you were scared what your parents would think?" the green girl sounded incredulous. Galinda nodded unhappily, a small frown marring her normally bright features.

"Yes, I owe my parents so much. And they do mean well. I can't just hurt them, it wouldn't be fair! I do have a reputation after all," said Galinda.

"A fake one," Elphaba reminded, taking a stab at dry humor.

"Well, a fake reputation is all a girl has," Galinda replied with equal sarcasm.

Then both girls paused, surprised at how true that remark really was. For both Elphaba and Galinda, a fake reputation really was all that either of them had ever had. Elphaba always pretended that the cruel words of the world didn't bother her, and she always pretended to be so much colder and meaner than she truly was. And Galinda had to pretend that she wasn't intelligent, just because women like her weren't supposed to think. And then she had to pretend that she didn't mind it when people insulted her and called her shallow or empty-headed. She was not just a simpering young imbecile with a pearly smile and a giant bank account, contrary to what most people believed. Unfortunately, not many people ever bothered to ask if there was more to Galinda than just a love of makeup and fashion.

Both she and Elphaba wore masks to conceal just how much pain the world was causing them. And both tried to convince themselves that they possessed more agency over their lives than they really did. They really were little more than two schoolgirls built upon lies, facades and false reputations. This was not a good foundation to anything, building, human or otherwise.

"Galinda, listen, if your parents really loved you, they'd push you to follow your dreams, not theirs," Elphaba was the first to break the silence, her voice soft and gentle, but also serious and firm. "No matter how well-meant they are, they're still killing you inside. I don't mean it literally of course. I just mean they're stopping you from being you. Don't let them do that. Take architecture and show them you can still make it in this world, even if you choose a different path."

"Are you sure?" Galinda asked hesitantly. Although this idea of defiance against her family still scared Galinda terribly, Elphaba's confidence and support was beginning to infect her and she couldn't help but wonder. She couldn't help but hope... Her dreams could finally be within her grasp! And now, she had support. Could she really...?

"As sure as my skin is green," Elphaba replied solemnly, and Elphaba's skin was very green.

The next day, Galinda found herself in the architecture class. She'd spent the last night meditating on Elphaba's words and finally decided to opt out of sorcery and into architecture. At breakfast, she'd gone to the headmistress and requested a class change. After she had her new schedule in hand, she had written a letter to her family, explaining everything to them. A few days after that, a reply letter arrived. It read:

"We will never understand why you turned us down, and why you gave up on such a marvelous opportunity for your life, but since it seems that we can no longer stop you, we will try to understand eventually. Good luck and goodbye."

After reading that letter, Galinda had wanted to cry for joy. Sure, the letter wasn't exactly a shining example of love and support, but it was a start. It had come from a good and open-minded place, and Galinda had the feeling that her parents, though disappointed, were not totally unwilling to change their minds about her. That was more than enough for now. It was kind of like how Galinda, herself, was feeling scared and elated at the same time. Conflicting emotions were coming together to create a perfect storm of change and chance, growth and opportunity. Maybe her dreams weren't so foolish after all. Maybe she'd only needed her own foundation to get started, and now thanks to Elphaba, she finally had that proper foundation, and she finally felt ready to chase her dreams and become a true architect after all. Maybe she had only needed to be built up herself before she could try building anything else. Well, now, thanks to Elphaba, that first step of the process was finally, finally, finally complete.

"Thank you Elphie," Galinda whispered to the green girl who was not there at the moment. "Thank you so much for showing me the power in my dreams, and myself. You've built me up in beauty and strength and now I am ready to fly. You're the _true_ architect here."

**AN: More plotless musing, this time about Galinda's character. All set to the "tune" of her interest in architecture, which was mentioned a couple times in the book. In case you couldn't tell how much I love this story, I somehow managed to write a whole fic over one tiny point in the book, and then turn it into an analysis with some light Gelphie added in as well. LOL. I really am shameless! **

**Also, the paragraph where I say that Galinda will sometimes spend hours trying to decide if pink shoes really go with a pink hat was taken from a line in an interview done by Katie McGrath about her character, Lucy Westenra, in an old TV series uncreatively named Dracula. Lucy Westenra is very much like Galinda (in personality, appearance, sexual orientation and backstory). **

**Here's the link if any Katie McGrath fans want to take a look: watch?v=oNz35n2_3m8**


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